For those of you who don't know me, my name is Scott Hartman. You can read more about my research, interests, and other exploits here.

What:

This blog will deal with the functional anatomy of dinosaurs and other extinct critters. In addition to exploring what is known about the anatomy and appearance of extinct animals, an emphasis will be given as to howwe know, as well as the limits on what can be confidently restored in extinct animals.

Why:

Blogging turns to be the perfect medium for recurring articles on a similar theme. Almost like they were designed that way. Also, all the cool kids seem to be blogging these days, and no one wants to be last to the party!

You can expect to see frequent updates. At least weekly, but perhaps more often as topics and schedule allow.

And now, for a skeletal reconstruction:

That's Silesaurus opolensis, an "almost dinosaur" from Poland. I'll probably have more to say about it (and why it appears to not quite count as a dinosaur) in a future post, but in the meantime if you're interested you can read a bit more about it at the Silesaurus entry on Wikipedia, which is pretty decent.

The format of the blog is not set in stone, so I welcome your suggestions and feedback!